April 20, 2026
Colleen Claggett/For PhillyVoice
Landon Dickerson (69) and Lane Johnson (65) will be back in 2026, but the Eagles might also be wise to find long-term successors for each player.
Each year, we lay out the Philadelphia Eagles' top 10 options with their first round pick, and we have found that while the player they have picked has occasionally been surprising, their base strategies have usually been predictable.
• 2025 was a rare year that the Eagles went against their tendencies, selecting off-ball linebacker Jihaad Campbell with their first-round pick. We had that as option No. 7. The Eagles did partly pick Campbell because they thought he had some versatility to play on the edge (option No. 1), although that versatility didn't show his rookie season.
• In 2024, we had cornerback at No. 3.
• In 2023, we specifically had a trade up for Jalen Carter at No. 2.
• In 2022, we were right about the team likely trading up for a defensive lineman (option No. 1), but it was for a defensive tackle instead of an edge rusher. We specifically singled out Jordan Davis (option No. 5). We also had wide receiver as option No. 3, and they did indeed get one with one of their first-round picks, though it was a trade for A.J. Brown instead of just drafting a rookie prospect.
• In 2021, we had the Eagles drafting a wide receiver (option No. 2), with DeVonta Smith as the most likely Eagles pick.
• In 2020, it felt rather clear that the Eagles were going to pick a wide receiver, and they did, though obviously the wrong one.
• In 2019, we correctly diagnosed that the Eagles were likely to trade up (option No. 1). They picked who they thought would be Jason Peters' successor (option No. 8).
• In 2018, it felt like a year to trade out of the first round (option No. 1), and that's what they did.
• In 2017, we had the Eagles staying put and drafting Derek Barnett as option No. 3.
Now that we've taken that little trip down memory lane, let's look at the Eagles' top 10 first-round options in 2026.
Projecting a first-round corner to the Eagles never made much sense to me at any point this offseason. The Eagles have a pair of All-Pros in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean at corner. They both start in base. In nickel, DeJean moves inside to the slot, and a third corner comes in and plays outside. So, whoever that third corner is doesn't play in the base defense. The Eagles are in nickel on roughly 80 percent of the snaps, so, that's a fair amount. Still, if you're selecting a corner in the first round, they would ideally never come off the field.
But also, there's the financial aspect. The Eagles are almost certainly going to eventually pay Mitchell and DeJean bigtime money. If they draft a third corner with a high pick and he pans out, great! You know, until it's time to pay that guy, too. Can they pay three corners top of the market money, not to mention all the other star players on defense who will also need to be paid? Probably not.
But all of the above is moot anyway because in free agency the Eagles filled their hole at CB3 when they signed Riq Woolen to a one-year, eight-figure contract.
I could see the Eagles taking a corner on Day 2 or 3 for the purpose of developing him into a potential starter in 2027 and beyond, but not in Round 1. And yet, you'll still see occasional mock drafts projecting a corner to the Eagles.
With the Eagles in cap conservation mode, it feels unlikely that they will trade for a star player, since those deals typically would also require a new contract for the acquired player. They will have more flexibility to pursue trades for established vets if they trade A.J. Brown post-June 1.
Howie Roseman tries to trade for Myles Garrett every offseason, and the Browns did restructure Garrett's contract in a way that makes him more tradeable. I also imagine Maxx Crosby is still available after he was traded to the Ravens... and then untraded.
So I suppose there's always a chance Roseman could swing a surprise blockbuster deal, but that all feels pretty unrealistic on Day 1 of the draft.
Safety is probably the most glaring need on the Eagles' roster at the moment. The top safety on the roster (Andrew Mukuba) is a 5'11, 186-pound second-year player who missed half his rookie season due to injury. The next top two safeties — Marcus Epps and Michael Carter (?) — were more or less discarded by their former teams.
The Eagles are going to add more safeties. Howie Roseman said as much a the owners meetings in Phoenix. However, he also intimated that the Eagles didn't match the modest $8.25 million/year contract Reed Blankenship signed with the Texans, because they wanted to put that money toward more important positions. In consecutive offseasons the Eagles traded Chauncey Gardner-Johnson for nothing and they let their best existing safety walk in free agency without a fight.
Does that sound like a team that prioritizes that position?
There are three safeties in this draft projected to get picked in the first round:
Downs almost certainly won't be available anywhere near pick 23. McNeil-Warren and Theinemann are good prospects, but are they the types of talents that are likely to get the Eagles to go way against tendency?
The only argument I have seen for the Eagles to take a safety is that they drafted an off-ball linebacker in Jihaad Campbell in the first round last year, something they hadn't done since 1979. So why not safety this year?
That's a fair point. However, two rebuttals:
Otherwise, there's little evidence to suggest the Eagles value the safety position enough to take one in the first round.
Sadiq is the only tight end likely to be drafted in the first round. He is an outstanding athlete who lit up the NFL Combine, and whose athleticism on the field is obvious.
Sadiq will have to get more comfortable running the full NFL route tree, but the upside as a receiver is there, and he's already a good run blocker who should only get better.
He's a fun player who makes a lot of sense as a short-term TE2 / WR to join DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, Dontayvion Wicks, and Marquise Brown, especially if the Eagles intend on trading A.J. Brown. Long-term, he would obviously be the TE1 in 2027 and beyond.
But again, like safety above, do the Eagles value the tight end position enough to take one in Round 1? Probably not. And Sadiq will likely be gone by pick 23 anyway.
The Eagles have eight picks in 2026, including four in the first 100 picks of the draft:
And in 2027, they will have more picks from a likely A.J. Brown trade as well as a few extra compensatory picks (including a third rounder for the loss of Jaelan Phillips). They don't really need to add extra draft capital.
The only way I can see the Eagles trading back is if they can't get a deal done to move up for a player they like, and when they're picking at 23 they just don't love any players who are available. Of course, this would be the Marcus Smith scenario, a draft-day lesson that Roseman learned from.
Landon Dickerson is still only 27 years old, but his body has taken a beating and he is probably a year-to-year retirement candidate at this point in his career. When we talk about the Eagles selecting an offensive lineman to eventually replace a great player already in place, it's always Lane Johnson, which makes sense, seeing as he'll turn 36 in May. But if you were to ask me which player is more likely to retire after the 2026 season, I might actually lean toward Dickerson.
Meanwhile, Cam Jurgens played through what sounds like a brutal back injury in 2024, and he was not fully recovered from offseason surgery in advance of a down 2025 season.
Tyler Steen was a competent starter at RG in 2025, and my understanding is that the Eagles like second-year pro Drew Kendall, but they need to add more interior offensive linemen prospects to their pipeline.
If a player like Olaivavega Ioane were to fall to the Eagles, it would be hard to pass him up. (He likely won't fall to 23.)
After trading for Dontayvion Wicks, a first-round receiver feels less likely than it did a few days ago. But more importantly, the strength of this wide receiver class is probably on Day 2. Here's a look at where The Athletic's Dane Brugler has receivers ranked in his top 75:
10) Carnell Tate, Ohio State
12) Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
14) Makai Lemon, USC
22) KC Concepcion, Texas A&M
25) Denzel Boston, Washington
27) Omar Cooper, Indiana
45) Germie Barnard, Alabama
46) Chris Brazzell, Tennessee
49) Malachi Fields, Notre Dame
53) Chris Bell, Louisville
61) Antonio Williams, Clemson
62) Ted Hurst, Georgia State
65) Elijah Surratt, Indiana
74) Brenen Thompson, Mississippi State
75) Zacharia Branch, Georgia
The Eagles have the 54th and 68th picks in the 2026 draft. There are nine receivers in the 45-75 range above. That feels like the sweet spot.
If a receiver the Eagles love were to fall to them at pick 23, I could see the Eagles taking him, but building up the line — especially the offensive line — feels more likely.
The Eagles tried hard to retain Jaelan Phillips, but they were outbid by the edge-desperate Panthers. In trying to keep Phillips for what would have been a highly lucrative payday, the Eagles signaled that they are not fully comfortable going into the season with what they have on the edge presently.
It's a strong edge class, and the Eagles have a need.
We argued earlier this offseason that the Eagles are highly likely to address the offense with their first-round pick, but if they were to make an exception it would likely be on the edge, a position they highly value.
As noted above, the Eagles don't lack 2026 draft capital, so they have ammo to move up in this draft. They can afford to use picks in 2027 to trade up, knowing that they have a third-round comp pick coming, as well as more high picks for A.J. Brown, if indeed they deal him in June.
Although their roster isn't as good as it was this time last year or during their Super Bowl run in 2024, the Eagles also don't have many needs at the starting spots relative to other teams around the league. Their needs in this draft are more of the long-term variety, particularly along the offensive line. They feel well-positioned to make an aggressive move up for a player at a premium position, whether that's an offensive lineman or edge rusher.
But perhaps most importantly, if you were to do a simulated mock draft — or if you read Eagles mock draft roundups — the available players at pick 23 are usually not very exciting.
If the Eagles stay put at 23, they might be disappointed by what is left for them there.
Though still an elite player, Lane Johnson turns 36 in May and he missed almost half the season in 2025. Now feels like the time to find his successor to groom for a starting role in the near future.
It also just so happens that this draft class is loaded with first-round offensive tackle prospects. Again, via Brugler's prospect rankings:
8) Spencer Fano, Utah
11) Francis Mauigoa, Miami
17) Monroe Freeling, Georgia
19) Kadyn Proctor, Alabama
25) Caleb Lomu, Utah
29) Blake Miller, Clemson
33) Max Iheanachor, Arizona State
Those seven guys will all likely go Round 1, and in my opinion, Freeling and Proctor make a lot of sense as unfinished prospects with high ceilings who could use a year to develop behind the scenes.
After the above seven players, there's a pretty big dropoff in quality to the next group of offensive tackles. In other words, if you're a tackle-needy team and you don't take one in the first round, you're going to have to settle for a way lesser prospect on Day 2 or 3, whereas with some other positions — as noted at wide receiver above — the dropoff isn't as drastic.
It's been a while since the Eagles selected an offensive lineman in the first round, because, well, they haven't needed to. But this feels like the year that they go back to their roots and put premium draft capital behind building their offensive line pipeline.
Follow Jimmy & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @JimmyKempski | thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
Add Jimmy's RSS feed to your feed reader
